Business Lifestyle Photography | What is THAT?

“Not just what you look like, but who you are…”

That’s my goal, every time I photograph someone, an event, food…whatever it is. I want the viewer to understand a bit about who or what the subject is about, their personality.

Outside of my wedding and family work, my favorite “people” photography revolves around small businesses. I really like getting to know other small business owners and their businesses, what makes them unique, and how they want to be seen by the public.

This kind of work is not your typical one-off studio portrait – there is a place for that, but this is different. “Lifestyle” business photography is a little like getting a glimpse at someone’s typical workday. We choose settings, locations and looks that reflect the brand and, for small business/entrepreneurs, that also often reflects the individual at the helm. I do this by collaborating and planning out ahead of time, with the client, what they’re looking for.

My intention is for my client to walk away with what I call an arsenal of photographs, a series of different looks, products (if appropriate), settings, locations. Having multiple “headshots” allows my clients to spice up their online imagery, use different images across their marketing channels and also gives them options when they’re called on to provide images for speaking engagements, conferences, guest blog posts, etc.

The two women I’ve highlighted below are long-time colleagues and it’s been a pleasure watching them grow their brands and business over the years – and an honor to be a part.

Interested in your own lifestyle session or have questions about how it works? Drop me a comment or email, it’ll be fun, I promise!

Owner + Founder Alyssa Peterson and I have been working together since she began her personal stylist business over four years ago. One of the things we wanted to do from the outset was create imagery using fashion items from her own personal closet, things that reflected her daily style and life. So…we went into her closet, quite literally! Alyssa uses these images throughout her website, including on her homepage and her About page.

I’ve also accompanied her on styling sessions with clients – both at boutiques and in her home studio. She uses these images in blog posts, marketing collateral and presentations. Their power comes in the fact that these are REAL clients, REAL styling…REAL life. Her clients look and feel comfortable in the items Alyssa has chosen for their lifestyles, budget, body types, etc. – and it shows in their confidence and smiles! These florals from Cinnamon Boutique in Chicago’s Roscoe Village neighborhood were featured in her Spring Closet Cleanse blog post – so pretty!

There’s often a pet lurking about when I work with client’s in their home or personal office spaces – this guy loved the blue shoes as much as I did! The shoes are featured on Cashmere and Wit’s homepage.

Finally, I love this marketing piece – designed by MSocial Strategies – as a holiday mailer. This bright “headshot” reinforces her brand, as well as her personality, so important when you provide a service – people want to get to know you a bit before they work with you!

Owner + Founder Sue Koch and I met just after she launched her social media strategy business a little over 7 years ago. She is a strategist, coach, speaker, author, fitness instructor…and she wanted photographs that were versatile enough to reflect all facets of her life, both personal and professional. In our session together (yes, all the images were taken in one session…I like to maximize my clients’ time!), we tried out several different “looks,” from casual to more “business-y.” And what you see here is a great cross-section of images that speak to Sue’s approachability, the different hats she wears and how she uses the photographs to reach her varied audience.

As her clients often connect with her personally, as well as professionally, Sue wanted photographs that were appropriate for personal Facebook Profile Picture, as well as for her business. She also uses this one on her Twitter profile.

For her business photographs, Sue wanted to go bold and energetic – just like she is! The bright color compliments her so well, and I really like the confident, strong pose of the image on the left. Not your usual “headshot” pose, and completely in sync with Sue and her brand. And, of course, there’s Presley, on the right – he had to get in on the action! You can see how she uses this image on her Facebook Cover Picture, LinkedIn Profile Picture and on the Bio Page on her website.

(as a side note, I’ve also seen her use this for speaker engagements and, when you see it on a page that includes headshots of her co-speakers, this one really jumps out at you and stands apart from the rest.)

And, yes! She’s a Fitness Instructor, too! Did I mention she’s full of energy?! We made a whole series of photographs of Sue in various workout gear, poses, and in-action. These are a few of my favorites, again, highlighting the variety and versatility I aim to provide in a lifestyle photoshoot. And, as with Alyssa, for people like Sue, in the fitness industry, potential clients want to see her, they want to know what she looks like, get a feel for what kind of instructor she is…I think we managed to capture that!

It’s always fun to see how clients put their photographs to use. I love these promotional pieces Sue created from our work together. The session image is on the left, and the promo she created is on the right.

This is so neat! I’ve never thought about lifestyle type images for a business owner- but that is SUCH a cool idea! I would love to do something like that. I’m actually in Chicago as well, so I’m going to bookmark your site!

Well, hello neighbor! 🙂 This is definitely my favorite way to work with business clients – it doesn’t matter what industry they are in, there’s always a way to spice things up to help them stand out in their field.